


Rose & Clover

by taxomin (CyanCheetah)



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga), Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Wizards, Attempt at Humor, F/M, First Crush, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Prince Kuran Kaname, Princess Cross Yuuki, Romance, Royalty, black clover au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26208700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyanCheetah/pseuds/taxomin
Summary: Zero, son of the Wizard King, wielder of Light and Dark magic, one who’s bound to a partnership with magnificent spirits, loses a bet.Kaname, the charming, lovestruck Prince, wins.
Relationships: Kiryuu Zero/Kuran Kaname
Comments: 10
Kudos: 69





	Rose & Clover

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ben4kevin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ben4kevin/gifts).



> Requested by @ben4kevin
> 
> Recommended prior knowledge of Black Clover to understand some of the important background information. 💜
> 
> Enjoy!

Zero, at ten years old, named himself. Among rubble and dirt, corpses and blood, as the only one who lived, it was easy. He was nothing. He was Zero.

His guardian, Kaien Cross, would beg to differ and lecture him for those thoughts, but the man was far too kind, too willing to spoil his adopted son. Zero was grateful and guilty all the same. The luxuries, riches, love, kindness—did he really deserve it all?

He pondered this in the small garden of the Black Bulls’ hideout, carefully tended to by himself and a few others. Raised garden beds, painted a horrendous shade of colors—by the hand of Yuuki’s artistic, disastrous creativity—were organized along the freshly clipped grass. Zero fluttered about the garden, fretting over the furthermost garden beds where he grew his own flowers. There, just last month, he’d planted daffodils and pink asters, drawn to the gentle complement the flowers had between each other.

The young man plucked a frayed dandelion weed from the grass, pushed up against the bottom of the lavender garden box, and evaluated the small plant. The weeds became more insistent as time passed, circling the outer edges of the garden and silently trailing from the forest around the hideout. Zero asked Kaito to buy weedkiller ages ago but the man refused, calling it a ‘sleight to nature’, or something like that.

“You’re annoying me, you know.” He whispered to the dandelion, warm breath blowing some of the white wisps from the plant. “Stubborn little bastards.”

The back door of the hideout creaked open and Zero turned around. Yuuki rushed out, brown hair swaying as she skipped over to him, a flush look of excitement on her face. Her eyes glittered as she grinned. “Zero, Zero!”

“What?”

“Captain Yagari is sending us on a mission!” She squealed, hopping in place.

Zero tossed the dandelion in a bin and placed a hand on Yuuki’s shoulder, walking her back into the hideout. He smiled fondly at the girl’s energy, something he wished he had in abundance. Even as a small child he kept to himself, but befriending Yuuki made it hard to even try. “Okay, when are we leaving?”

“Now!”

Zero blinked. They walked through the hallways to the main room, where a few members dawdled about. Captain Yagari was sprawled on the couch, an arm thrown over his eyes as he napped. Vice-Captain Kaito was off on the other side of the room flirting with an unamused Sayori. Opting to interrupt Kaito’s terrible attempts at flirting rather than Yagari’s nap time _for the sake of self-preservation_ , Zero beckoned Yuuki along.

“Hey, womanizer,” Zero called. “What’s our mission?”

Kaito’s head whipped around as he sputtered out, “Wo—Womanizer? What are you—” His eyes flickered to Sayori, who’d begun to ignore him and read her book. Yuuki laughed. Kaito deflated. “Whatever. The Wizard King ordered us to investigate a new dungeon before the Diamond Kingdom can steal anything. It’s you, me, and the little princess here.”

Yuuki glanced between the two, her excitement muted and her grin falling into a grimace. “Actually, is it a good idea to bring me along? My magic still isn’t working.”

“You were so happy a minute ago.” Zero said, eyes narrowing at the girl. She fidgeted under that gaze and pouted. He continued, “You’ll be fine. If anything, going on missions can only help you. Don’t be afraid.”

Yuuki dropped her eyes to the floor and stared down at her shoes. Kaito sighed and said, “Princess Yuuki, the Wizard King asked for you directly. He knows you're struggling and only wants the best for you. Are you gonna disappoint him, huh?” A sly glint shone in Kaito’s eyes and Zero regarded him suspiciously. “In a meeting, the Wizard King was absolutely _praising_ your brother, you know. I’m sure you want him to praise you, too.”

Yuuki's head whipped up and she glared fiercely. “Uncle Kaien is always praising Kaname and—” Her glare turned to Zero. “and you, too! I’m gonna make him proud today, I _have_ to.”

Zero’s brow twitched. The boy shook his head as he gathered some of his things, pulling on his Black Bull’s uniform and grabbing Bloody Rose, his favorite bow, and sheathing his twin daggers. “That’s not my fault. He’s my _father_ , what do you expect him to do? Of course he’d say good things about me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kaito slapped his juniors on the back and yawned, glancing at Captain Yagari’s sleeping form. “Seeing the Captain nap is making me tired, let’s get going before I fall asleep.”

“It’s 11 am, you just wanna get this over with so you can flirt again!” Yuuki cackled, slapping Kaito’s back in return. Kaito, face a shade of indignant red, snipped back and the two fell into a rhythm of loud banter.

Zero snorted, hiding a smile behind his hand as the three of them left the hideout.

* * *

  
Kaname twisted the flower in his hand and severed it from the stem. It’s the seventh one this month from starstruck, love-sick peasants and nobles alike. The noble bouquets, while annoying, were preferable and elegantly polished, so he’d regift them to his younger sister. She loved colors and theatrics, after all.

He threw the sad plant in the bin and straightened in his chair, browsing through the mail that the Golden Dawn kept receiving. Other than love letters and a bit of hate mail, there wasn’t much of note. 

An awkward shuffle echoed in his office and he glanced up to see Ichijo there, with a concerned look on his face. “What’s the problem?”

“Kaname, the flowers.” Ichijo glanced down at the bin. “You’re throwing them all away?”

Indeed, the trash bin would need to be emptied soon, as wilted flowers filled it up and creeped over the edge. He’d tossed most of them and had a servant send a select few to the palace for his sister’s pleasure. Yuuki’s been talkative lately regarding her initiation into the Magic Knights, and much of that had included her newfound hobby of gardening.

The other subject was of the Wizard King’s son, Zero, and that piqued Kaname’s interest far more.

He shuffled through the mail again. “The flowers mean nothing to me. There’s no reason to keep them.”

“Well,” Ichijo started, stepping closer to the Golden Dawn’s Vice-Captain. “It’ll certainly be easier to select the candidates for your wife. You’ll be eighteen very soon, now that I think about it.”

Kaname paused. “I find none of these women desirable.”

Ichijo winced, running his fingers through his blonde hair. Kaname may have been blunt, but it was simple honesty. None of the women who grovelled beneath his feet in their efforts to claim the title of Queen were desirable. They were rather pathetic, actually.

Regardless of this, however, his mother and father were insistent. He would ascend to the throne with a partner, or he would remain a Prince forever—or so they claimed. It was unreasonable.

“I’m sure you’ll find the right one,” Ichijo sighed. “Eventually.”

“Until then, I’d appreciate it if the ladies of Clover stopped tearing up their gardens as paltry offerings.”

The blonde man chuckled at that, walking over to Kaname’s desk and grabbing the small trash bin stuffed with dead flowers. The young prince thanked Ichijo as he left the office, only to be met with the decorative mask of the Golden Dawn’s leader, Captain Vangeance. 

The Captain smiled and walked into the room, graceful as a bird taking flight, as Ichijo excused himself.

Kaname had admired the self-assured, elegant man for years, even prior to becoming an upstanding Magic Knight in his own right. He’d been elated when he was given the position of Vice-Captain and, despite being heir to the throne of Clover, offered Vangeance the utmost respect. The Captain gave the same respect in return. Kaname lowered his head to acknowledge Vangeance with the hint of a smile on his face.

“Captain,” He said. “To what do I owe the honor?”

The captain’s purple eyes brightened as he responded, “Prince Kaname, you flatter me. No need to be so formal.”

Kaname thought, oddly enough, that he was quite obsessed with purple eyes. He wondered of their beauty, of both their striking appearance and the striking people who possessed them. It was a color of pride and royalty, independence and mystery, and Kaname was inexplicably drawn to it.

He abandoned those thoughts and addressed the captain kindly. “I feel your station and demeanor earn you a great deal of respect and regard, but I do not mean to be distant, Captain. Apologies.”

“It’s alright, Prince Kaname, I am not offended,” Captain Vangeance smiled. “But to answer your question, the Wizard King has given us a mission and I’d like you to lead it. A dungeon has appeared in the Neutral Zone between our borders and the Diamond Kingdom’s borders.”

“I see. We need to investigate the dungeon before Diamond has the opportunity, I assume?”

The captain nodded his head. “Yes, so consider it a time sensitive mission.”

“Who else is assigned to this task?” Kaname asked.

Something mischievous sparkled in the captain’s eyes. Kaname’s back straightened.

“Bring who you feel is adequate, Prince Kaname, but do expect some company from another squad. The Black Bulls, specifically.”

He froze. “Oh. That—that’s very interesting, I suppose.”

“ _‘Oh’_ , indeed, Prince Kaname.” The captain’s smile widened. “Do not get too carried away.”

A light dust of pink appeared on the prince’s cheeks at being poked fun of by his captain. Few of Golden Dawn’s members knew about his personal life and even fewer did he deeply confide in. Unfortunately, by accident mostly, Captain Vangeance had learned more about him than he _ever_ intended for the man to know.

That was the power of alcohol, he supposed.

Kaname willed the blush away and stood from his chair. “If that is all, then I will excuse myself and prepare for the mission. Ruka and Senri will be joining me.”

Captain Vangeance smiled with that same mischievous look and Kaname would swear upon his grave that _no, he did_ not _run out of that office._

* * *

The portal, opened politely by Nadeshiko (after an exorbitant amount of teasing on Yuuki and Kaito’s end), linked to the highest point of a hill under the gentle shade of an oak tree. The hill curved into flat land that became a mass of tangled forest.

Nadeshiko, a quiet young woman and member of the Blue Rose squad, had a terrible, terrible crush on Zero. He saved her from a fall last year and, ever since, he’s ‘accidentally’ ran into her an odd number of times. She was cute, with soft brown hair tied into twin braids and wide glasses, but she wasn’t his type. The opposite of his type, really.

Zero looked at the girl and her cheeks turned bright red, like ripe apples hanging from a distasteful tree, and he felt guilty. “Thank you, Nadeshiko. We appreciate the help.”

“N-No problem at all! You can ask me for anything, any time.” Her doe brown eyes sparkled.

“Of course, we’ll see you another time.” Zero very purposefully emphasized ‘we’ because _he_ would not want her to get the wrong idea. Yuuki hummed a tune and Kaito whistled conspicuously, not saying a word, which was _highly_ unusual for either of them. Figures, the only time he wanted them to speak, they forgot their words.

Nadeshiko bowed her head with a blissful smile. “Bye Zero!” 

She skipped back into her portal, and just as the rift closed, both Yuuki and Kaito fell into hysterical giggling fits. Zero clicked his tongue and marched past the both of them, coincidentally stepping on Kaito’s foot.

“Hey! What was that for?” Kaito whined, jogging after him. “It's not _my_ fault the girl likes you.”

“Shut up.” Zero grumbled bitterly.

Yuuki fell into stride right next to him. “Kaito’s not wrong. We didn’t do anything— _you’re_ the one who’s entertaining her crush.”

“I’m not entertaining _anything_.”

Zero got very skittish around her, was all, because girls rarely ever showed interest in him. He was handsome, but to most other nobility, he only an intimidating pest. A peasant who got lucky. His father’s position, Wizard King, was not hereditary, so there was very little to gain from a political marriage with his adopted son. Most of the noble ladies’ attention was drawn to the ruling King of Clover and _his_ son, Prince Kaname, and for the noble gentlemen, Princess Yuuki.

As far as anyone cared, Zero was the lowest of the low, where nobility was concerned. Nothing, as it were. He named himself well.

The proximity to a large magical dungeon (as well as his sordid loneliness) roused something within him, and he felt his magic expand as the sound of glitter and sparks echoed in his ear. Appearing in a flash of color and light, a concentrated mass slowly stretched into the small figure of an elemental spirit.

Lux, the spirit of light, was a beauty to behold. A crown of glowing light encircled her head of winding, curling hair, curving down to the smooth slopes of her body, emboldened by the white dress that reached her toes and fluttered around her like a cloud. The scroll that bound them together was a gift from his adoptive father, and it had been the best gift he ever received.

 _“Zero,”_ she whispered in his mind, her voice a gentle caress. _“The dungeon is close, and there are a great many things inside. Be cautious, and call upon me when you need my power.”_

 _“Of course, Lux.”_ Zero agreed. _“Thank you.”_

Before Lux could twist away, Kaito spotted the small, gentle spirit. His pout morphed into a glimmering smile and he straightened his back as he walked. “Why hello, beautiful spirit of Zero’s. Your blinding magnificence has captured my eye once more!”

Zero had never seen Lux _cringe_ before, and he prayed to never see it again.

The spirit’s wings flitted about anxiously as she stared at the human fool that Kaito was. Why she didn’t just disappear, Zero would never know.

Instead, she said, “Ah, dear Kaito. Thank you. I am also dazzled by your—ahem—dull human skin.”

Yuuki, who had covered her mouth to maintain her composure, shook with laughter as her face turned a terrible red color from exertion. Zero rubbed his temples and sighed. Kaito simply raised a brow at the odd phrase but plowed ahead regardless, and Lux had started giggling nervously.

“Well, gorgeous spirit, while my poor human skin does not glitter or shimmer, I’m sure our union would brighten my life beyond compare.” Kaito smirked.

A constipated mix between disbelief and annoyance twisted Zero’s features as Kaito _propositioned his spirit._ To add to the things he never wished to see again, Lux’s face became a purplish-pink and she looked ready to faint.

“It’s been nice but I—I suppose I left my, ah, my kitchen running,” Lux’s voice jumped and skipped. “Is that how humans say that? Well, I’ll be leaving, hah, _goodbyefornow._ ” The rest of her words slurred together as she disappeared in a glimmer of light.

A static moment of silence covered the trio.

“What—” Yuuki chortled out, but it was enough to break the peace.

Kaito grinned and puffed out his chest. The terrible, terrible _fool._ “Aha, my charm strikes again! Even non-human women are drawn to my irresistible pull.”

Zero was pissed.

“Kaito,” he said, his features dark and his voice strung with a tight, undisturbed malice. “You will be missed.”

“Huh?”

Zero jumped at him and Kaito yelped, dodging the furious kicks to his groin.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter, Kaname and Zero will meet in the dungeon! 🥳


End file.
